


Solace

by viciouswishes



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-01
Updated: 2006-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 02:39:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/207890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viciouswishes/pseuds/viciouswishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaylee seeks solace in Inara's shuttle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Solace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queenzulu (zulu)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zulu/gifts).



> Setting: Post-Serenity (the movie).

Kaylee and Simon have been going on for a week when she realizes that her battery-operated boyfriend runs about the same. Sure, it's fine that Simon's focusing on River, hooking all those machines up to her and talking to her. But when Kaylee thinks of a boyfriend, she thinks of the strawberries Shepherd Book offered as trade for part of his too-short passage on Serenity: sweet and giving beneath her tongue. Even though she never thought about the Shepherd that way.

As she walks passed the kitchen, Kaylee looks over at Jayne, who's fiddling with his knife. All that power and he's treating it like her brother did the jack-in-the-box he got for Christmas when she was seven. Jayne's the only one clinging to something normal. Fighting the Reavers stirred everyone up and they've been on ice since. She can't even glance at Zoe without shivering.

Jayne grunts as she leaves the commons. She needs something Serenity isn't anymore. Not since they defiled her baby with paint and dead people. Kaylee runs her hands against the wall as if she could see the cuts and bruises along her hull. She says a silent prayer Shepherd taught her even though she doesn't believe in anything but the hum of machines. Her shoes click against the grate as she makes her way to Inara's shuttle.

"Inara?" Kaylee says as she moves through the doorway. Unlike the Captain, she'd never enter Inara's space without asking.

"In here." Inara's wrapping a bright orange sarong around her waist. When she meets Kaylee's eyes, Inara's lips downturn in a frown. "Is something wrong, _mei mei_?"

She knows that Inara has to read people for her job and all, but it startles her how much Inara sees. "Just wanted to see how you were doing. The ship was feeling kind of cramped."

Inara gestures for Kaylee to sit down on her bed, covered in beautiful silk sheets. "So you retreat to my shuttle, which is even smaller?" She quirks an eyebrow.

"Smaller in a different way." Kaylee pushes herself against the pillows and sighs. She wishes to close her eyes and melt into Inara's bed. Surely all the fancy people who stay in this bed do.

Kaylee's hand fell to the pillow. She touches it. It's soft. Inara places her hand on Kaylee's knee. "You know you can tell me anything."

Kaylee smiles at the touch. Inara's hand feels warm against her. She realizes that sometimes she longs for more, sometimes she wishes to be the fancy person in Inara's bed, graced with Inara's presence. How lucky they are. And they don't even know her. They don't even know.

Kaylee knows that Inara's picky. She doesn't take just anyone that will pay. Kaylee can't help but feel jealous and the like because she doesn't have any money. She's poor; she's inadequate for Inara because of her position, her station in life. Yet Inara's hand kneads little circles on her knee.

"Is Simon bothering you?" Inara says, breaking the silence.

"Just being awfully inconsiderate." Kaylee sighs again. "It's him, but it's not him. It's me. I..." She shrugs.

"Perhaps I can help." Inara's movements are steady as she places her hands on Kaylee's shoulder and pulls her closer, placing a sweet kiss on her lips. Strong with just a little bit of tongue. Kaylee's thinking about Inara's hands, Inara's lips, Inara's beautiful body.

Inara's undoing her sarong and parting the sheets on her bed. Elegance. Everything about Inara is elegance. Inara's strokes her face, hand running down her shoulder, lightly ghosting down the middle of her shirt and unbuttoning her overalls.

Inara smiles reassuringly like she's almost asking Kaylee's permission. But she doesn't say anything; she just leans in for another kiss. Lips like fruit, like wine, like all the things that Kaylee's read about in Earth that was, times that were before.

Kaylee thinks that if she wasn't on Serenity she'd grow a plum tree in her yard. She'd grow fresh fruit and she'd run barefoot up to the tree. She wonders if she could talk to plants like she can machines. She never tried. She never thought that farming was for her, and her daddy and her brother focused on fixing stuff instead of growing things. She kind of regrets it now.

Kaylee wants to grow up to be beautiful, just like Inara. Make something beautiful. Sure, Serenity's beautiful. But it's not a living. It can't grow and nurture like Inara's nurturing her, pulling off her clothes. She's naked. They're both naked. She suddenly can't remember how they got there.

But Inara's still smiling, still reassuring Kaylee. Inara's head tips, bending down all graceful-like. She lightly licks Kaylee's nipple, and Kaylee groans. Inara's gentler than Simon, gentler than she's really ever had.

Kaylee's so used to grease and dirt. Mechanic's hands are rough, but Inara's were soft. Companion soft. Inara trails kisses down Kaylee's stomach, luscious and quick. They're learned, yet natural.

One can learn to kiss. One can learn to caress. One can learn to make love, but there's something natural, basic, and good about Inara.

Inara's moving down her thighs. Kaylee groans in anticipation. Hot. Wet. Heat. Inara's mouth touches her cunt and her tongue moves over her clit. She shouts, " _Duode duo_." Inara starts to giggle. Unbecoming for a Companion, but not for Inara and Kaylee.

Both Inara's bed and touch feels like fresh spring water and ripening berries in her mouth. It feels perfect. It feels like an obsession. Kaylee knows that when they're done, they'll talk about boys and how they're _chou ma niao_. Because when it comes to the matters of the heart and of sex, Inara's the one Kaylee turns to.

She feels heat building in her body, and her hips buck up. Kaylee wants more. "Fuck." Her hand moves to her forehead, stretching and bracing herself. Wanting, needing, feeling. "God." Kaylee's in heaven. Kaylee's the richest woman in the 'verse with Inara between her legs. She needs Inara. Kaylee wants to return the favor as she's coming. To bring Inara the same pleasure that she brings to Kaylee.

Kaylee wonders if Inara swears when she comes. She wants to hear it. Wants to find it out, right now. When Inara comes up and kisses her, Kaylee tastes herself on Inara's lips.

Inara whispers sweet nothings, and Kaylee puts her hand down, runs over Inara's breasts. "You're beautiful and you smell good," Kaylee says.

Kaylee's hand moves between Inara's thighs, hair perfect, not wild, rough, and everywhere like Kaylee. Kaylee heard somewhere that the women on the Core planets shave. Must be weird to shave. She doesn't really remember what it was like to not have hair down there. But Inara's neat, trimmed, and elegant.

Kaylee presses her finger against Inara's clit. Stroking, firmly, like the pulse of Serenity's engine on a good day. Happy that she can give Inara the joy that she gives Kaylee.

"Love watching you," Kaylee says. She feels Inara's body vibrating under her. Inara moans and takes Kaylee's hand in her own; she's satisfied.

They lay together until Inara sits up and starts her rituals. Kaylee's still in awe to be part of this and closes her eyes. Her eyelashes flutter as there's something wet touching her face.

Inara wipes the cold cloth across Kaylee's forehead, but Kaylee's not sure that she wants Inara washing her body. She's afraid that something good will disappear into dirty water. Kaylee feels like she's becoming something new with Inara on her. And Inara seems to understand.

"Captain probably wants me to get back to Serenity."

Inara nods. "It's okay, _mei, mei_. Let me brush your hair. It looks a little rough." And Inara sits behind Kaylee. The silk of her robe rubs against Kaylee's body. Inara takes her brush and runs it over Kaylee's hair, smoothing it and putting it back in place. Together, they find solace in each strand.


End file.
